Murphy cracker earns great point

Murphy cracker earns great point

Irvinestown Wanderers continued their good start to the season with a draw against reigning champions Strathroy Harps.

Liam Murphy scored the goal that earned them a point, but despite holding last season’s all conquering league winners to a draw, manager Rory Cassidy revealed there was a sense of disappointment that they did not take the win.

“Believe it or not the boys were a bit disappointed in the changing room after the game that we didn’t get the three points,” he said.

“We hit the post and the bar and we had a good one on one chance so the boys were a bit frustrated at not winning.

“When you play the champions and have a few good chances to win then it is a bit disappointing not to put them away.

“I suppose overall on reflection Strathroy had a few chances in the last twenty minutes and they could have won it as well, so maybe a draw was a fair enough result,” acknowledged Cassidy.

The draw continues Irvinestown’s good start to the campaign after an opening day victory over Magheraveely, which is in contrast to the slow start they made last season.

Cassidy added: “This time last season we had very little points on the board until after five or six games so we are reasonably happy with the start we have made.

“We were still missing five boys on Saturday like Ronan Ormsby and our keeper as well. Hopefully we can get the Gaelic boys back now and push on from here.”

There was little to choose between the teams in the opening exchanges, but it was the champions who took the lead after fifteen minutes when Conor McGuigan handled in the area and Tony Quinn dispatched the penalty.

Irvinestown came back strongly and Stephen Sheridan had a free kick of his own cannon off the post before Liam Murphy levelled the scores.

Gary Maguire struck the top of the Strathroy crossbar with an ambitious effort from thirty yards while for Strathroy Benny Boylan headed wide and on a number of occasions they were wasteful in front of goal.

Irvinestown had one great late chance to snatch the win when Sean Cassidy ran on to a ball over the top of the defence and advanced on the keeper, but he could not beat the last man and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

Ipsoregulated

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